What to do with Hickory?

[WoodenHead]

I'm curious as to what people do with their hickory logs.  A logger friend has a couple nice ones coming to me he says.  They'll be cut to about 17/18 feet long so I can halve them if I wish.  Do you slab them?Make flooring out them?  5/4? 4/4?  I assume I should saw them as green as possible?

[LeeB]

Flooring and cabinet work comes to mind. Getting it to dry straight can be a little tough. I would consider 5/4 although it can be tough on equipment once dry.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Firewood.

[Magicman]

Firewood. 

I am glad that I don't have to split it.   :-\

I will saw Hickory for customers, but I would not want any for myself.  Some deals are not necessarily good deals, and just because it is available does not mean that you have to accept it.  Especially if you do not have an immediate use for the lumber.

[sealark37]

I would only saw hickory if I had a customer who wanted it, or if I needed some for stock.  5/4 will allow some extra to accommodate warping and cupping.  As noted above, it is hard on equipment.  Sawing green with a good band is helpful.  If you have never had problems with waviness, get ready.  For all this, hickory makes beautiful cabinets, furniture, and flooring.  Good Luck, and Regards, Clark

[dboyt]

Hickory's toughness makes it a good choice for hammer, axe, and other handles (have you priced a wood cant hook handle lately?), baseball bats & drum sticks.  I wouldn't saw it up unless you know you have a market it for it.  As sure as you cut it 5/4, someone will want 6/4!  Very pretty wood, identical to pecan, which is actually a hickory species.  Other than that, a lot of folks around here chip it up for the barbeque.

[LeeB]

I don't find it to be identical to pecan. To me pecan has more color and tends to have a reddish tint to it. I prefer the look of pecan over hickory.

[GAB]

To me the hickory bark seems to dull blades very quickly almost as if it is high in silica.  So I saw it such that I can get my blade entering fresh wood and coming out of the bark as quickly as possible.  The smoothbark hickory I think is worst, than the shagbark.

As far as splitting wood goes if the splitter can't handle it, then I use the sawmill.  I will get it down to wood stove size one way or another.  Fixturing, to use the sawmill, can be a challenge, but so is life.  Gerald

[mmartone]

We have quarter sawn some and flat sawn, air drying and looking pretty flat, gorgeous.



  



 

Hoping it stays mostly flat.

[thecfarm]

I hope it stays flat too. Pretty.

[WoodenHead]

Thanks for the responses. 

Is there any benefit to quarter sawing to minimize drying defects?  Should I kiln dry it green or air-dry first (or only)?  Is it likely to twist?

My wife would like some cabinets (for laundry and stuff).  But if it is nasty stuff, maybe I should consider narrow width flooring instead. 

[woodmills1]

firewood

sell boards, years later customer complains it is still moving

[arkansas]

Hickory can be worked, but like said it is a pain.   

  

  

  

  not the best but I like it and it works for intended purpose.  Wife does not, to heavy to change room around?

[kelLOGg]

This is flooring in my office from a dead hickory. The worm holes add to the beauty. I shed dried it followed by kiln drying, ripped it to size and had it T&Ged. I would jump at the chance to get some more. 

 

[Nomad]

     There's more than one flavor of hickory.  None are easy, but some are worse than others.  I cut a lot of it for customers; never done any for myself.  Not exactly one of my favorite woods to saw.

[YellowHammer]

I hate (really hate) sawing hickory, but it sells fast around here for $3.50 per bdft.  I saw it 4/4 + thick, kiln dry it, sort the nasties to the cull stack (sell them at $1/bdft) skip plane the rest and sell it all day long.  The patterns are striking and most of the people use it for rustic trestle top tables.  I've got a guy driving almost 100 miles this weekend to buy some.  Its pretty hard on the planer, too.
YH

[drobertson]

Plain sawn 4/4 for flooring, saw for grade,  q-saw clear for handles.  Hickory gets a bad wrap, and rightly so, but it has lots of character, and might show yours by the time you finish sawing.    david

[Mountain Guardian]

...... Someone else that uses their mill to cheat on firewood....  I have a bunch of old gnarly knots and y's that I cut into firewood lengths and then slab into 3 inch slabs for firewood, beats the heck out of splitting it.

[beenthere]

I have a bunch of old gnarly knots and y's that I cut into firewood lengths

I leave those lay right on the ground, and just drop a chainsaw cut or two through them. That way, no lifting and no clamping needed. ;)

[red oaks lumber]

mmartone
if you are hoping to keep your hick flat and straight, you need more stickers. the first stick should be about 2" in from the end, then every 12"- 14" after that. make sure you have base support under every row of stickers.

for me hickory make good firewood  ;Dor its really nice wood someone else has to deal with :D

[dgdrls]

 

  

 

Saw it green and get the bark off or lead the band with a debarker.
sticker it and weight it down tight.
The first Hickory I sawed was full of tension



 

Others can speak to it better than I but, I think Hickory and Pecan is best sawn
with a 4-7 deg band.

DGDrls

[Greg Brown]

This is a hickory kitchen cabinet job I did.  I ALWAYS make sure I have all my cutter blades and saws good and sharp before doing hickory.




  

 

[Delawhere Jack]

Figure how long it would take to mill an oak log the same size, and then double the time. It's about like sawing concrete. I found some of the best figured crotch wood I've milled in hickory. Can't tell you about how it dried as I'm a love'm (get paid) and leave'm type sawyer.  ;)



 

[gfadvm]

I have read all the comments about pecan and hickory being difficult to dry straight and flat. We have a LOT of standing dead hickory and pecan in my area. Is standing dead better/worse than green in terms of warping, twisting, etc?

[Sawdust Lover]

You may see sparks come off the blade. I tried to saw some dead hickory a few months ago and it ended up in the firewood pile.